Learning how to code and build apps is only part of the challenge if you want to become a successful app developer. For anyone to actually work buy now Your creation, you should upload it to Google Playstorm. Then there’s the busy work of responding to reviews, handling updates, managing sales, and finding bugs. This is all handled through the Google Play Console (AKA Developer Console).
The developer console has grown and changed a lot over the years. It has recently undergone major redesigns to become more powerful, user-friendly and intuitive. A well-informed developer can use all of this to increase sales and improve the experience for their users.
In this post, we’ll explore what you need to know and how you can use this control center for Android devs.
The latest changes to the Play Console introduced a more modern interface with a Material Design influence, in line with Google’s other products.
Some of the things you can do from the Google Play Console include:
- Upload and print applications
- Create/update store listings.
- See sales and statistics
- Manage different versions of your application
- See (and respond to) ratings and reviews.
- See crash reports
Start with the Play Console
To get started, you must create a developer account. You can do this using an existing Google account. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to pay a one-time fee of $25 (which is significantly less than Apple’s, so consider yourself lucky!). Developers must also be over 18.
Adam Sinicki / Android Authority
Once that’s done, you can upload your first app. Start by clicking “Create App” in the top right corner and then entering the details for your app. Here you can configure your app name, language, price and more before uploading APK, key certificate and more. These are all things we can discuss in future posts along with the process of installing a new app. Google recently uploaded a guide to avoiding policy violations, which is worth reading.
Once you build your app, you need to wait several hours for it to go live. This is mostly due to the automated review process. (Currently slightly slower due to covid.)
Google is looking to make the process more transparent for users with the Publisher Overview page and Managed Publishing. It gives you a better idea of when your next app or update will be released, which is useful for marketing and advertising. You can see which changes have been approved and which are still under review, and decide when you want to go live with updates. Managed publishing can be turned on or off at any time.
Adam Sinicki / Android Authority
The application installation process involves several additional steps to create a store listing. Developers must write a description for their application, for example. Additionally, you need to add icons, screenshots, cover image and more. All this helps to make your app stand out and increase visibility.
The dashboard
Once you’ve uploaded an app, you can log into the Play Console and see it listed on the “All Apps” page. This first page will show a list of all applications with overview details. For example, you can see the date of the last upload, the number of active users, and the status of the app (whether it’s currently live).
Adam Sinicki / Android Authority
Click on any of these apps and you will be taken to the dashboard. Here, you’ll see an icon at the top left indicating which app you’re currently viewing, and a menu on the left will present you with several new options.
Dashboard: Control Center where you can view many other key details about your app. The most important are “KPIs” or “Key Performance Indexes”. They give you an idea of how your app is performing.
InboxImportant/useful updates about your app that need your attention.
Statistics: More detailed information about your users, growth, etc.
To print an overview: The above mentioned page allows you to see the status of your new updates.
Release Overview: This will show you your app versions and release history. You can also see if apps/updates are in production or testing.
Product: The Product menu is specifically for managing product releases of your app. You can also find data about stability for that particular release.
Trying: Internal tests can be accessed through managed Google Play, which we’ll cover in a moment. Testing is especially useful for developers planning large releases of complex applications. This helps you find device-specific bugs and other issues before going live.
Application Bundle Browser: Nowadays, apps can be uploaded with many updates. Bundles allow Google to generate and serve APKs optimized for specific devices, thus saving space on a user’s device and avoiding compatibility issues. Bundles are created in Android Studio and cannot be run natively on Android devices.
Controlling the presence of the store through the Google Play Console
Under these options, you’ll find several additional menu items specifically for controlling your app’s “store presence.” In other words, it’s where you can make changes to the store listing – like app name, icon, screenshots, etc.
The “Custom Store Listings” page allows you to create custom store listings for specific regions, for example. “Store listing tests” allow you to run A/B tests on your listings. These tests allow you to run two minor variations of your store listing side by side. Then compare how each of them performed. This is useful because it allows you to see which changes have a positive impact on your number of downloads.
Adam Sinicki / Android Authority
Store settings allow you to manage additional options – such as app category and contact details. You can also order translation services, view store performance metrics (conversions, traffic sources) and manage Play Games services.
watch out: Google Play Services – Everything you need to know
You can see reviews and ratings under “Quality”. Responding to reviews is important to appear responsive and manage your reputation. Remember: the customer is always right! Take the high road and it will pay off in the long run.
“Android Basics” looks at performance metrics like battery usage, stability, load times, and more. This is where you can find information about crashes that can help you improve performance across Android devices.
Finally, the “Monetization” menu includes various options for managing monetization. These include not only the direct cost of the app, but also in-app products, subscriptions, and more. This is where you can view your financial reports.
Some advanced options
Depending on the type of developer you are, you may want to dive into some advanced settings hidden under the hood. Most of these, unsurprisingly, can be found in the “Advanced Settings” menu (under Settings).
Play Console offers B2C services, advanced optimization and other features.
A useful option here is “Managed Google Play”. What this allows you to do is give access to a private app to certain organizations. This is useful for developers who provide useful applications that improve the workflow of customers. Also useful is “carrier targeting,” which allows you to limit access to your app to specific carriers.
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As you can see, Play Console is crucial for Android developers who want to reach the widest possible audience. But more than that, it offers B2C services, advanced optimization and more. Hopefully, this Google Play Console guide has given you a good idea of what you can find here and how powerful and useful the platform is.